FLBOTCP Chapter 70
Full Level Bigshot Only Takes the Career Path Chapter 70
Zhao Yao replied, “Didn’t I tell you before? We’ve just started dating.”
Yao Bai responded helplessly. “Then, can’t you two do something more? Shouldn’t you be doing more than just sleeping under the covers?”
“Like what?” Zhao Yao really hasn’t thought about this aspect of a relationship. He and Pei Mingzhan got along so naturally that he hadn’t given much thought to other things.
Yao Bai was truly speechless. Was this how it was for two virgins in a relationship? “Well, it’s the early stages of dating or the honeymoon phase, right? You should want to touch your boyfriend a little, or get more intimate with him, do some couple things.”
What should couples do in the early stages of love?
When Yao Bai mentioned the term “honeymoon phase.” Zhao Yao’s mind immediately thought of related strategies. He carefully recalled their actions over the past few days and realized that they didn’t quite meet the requirements of the honeymoon phase.
Yao Bai realized something was wrong after he spoke, “Brother, isFilm Emperor Pei not performing well?”
“…?”
When Zhao Yao heard this, he turned his head to look at Pei Mingzhan again, causing the latter to give him a puzzled look.
Yao Bai continued, “Brother, dating is not like this in the honeymoon phase. You need to add some spice to your life. If you spend your honeymoon phase like this, how will you have a happy life together in the future??? Even a single dog like me understands more than you guys.”
Zhao Yao hadn’t thought about these things before. He had shared a bed with Pei Mingzhan before and they indeed had done some other things. But after Yao Bai mentioned it, he suddenly realized that their way of interacting didn’t seem to have changed much from before, except for the change of names. Everything else appeared the same as it was before they started dating.
This was definitely not how a couple in the honeymoon phase should behave.
The secretary quickly brought in lunch, and Pei Mingzhan paused his conversation with the supervisor. The supervisor said he would send the follow-up reports and then left the room. Now, only Pei Mingzhan and Zhao Yao remained in the room. Pei Mingzhan walked over to the sofa and unpacked the food boxes. The hot and fragrant dishes were from the Chinese restaurant Zhao Yao liked.
Zhao Yao had been hearing Yao Bai’s non-stop theories, but he wasn’t paying much attention to the content. Instead, he was focused on Pei Mingzhan’s hands as he meticulously arranged the food boxes and plates.
Yao Bai spoke with a dry mouth, but his older brother didn’t say a word in response. Finally, he let out a long sigh and said, “Brother, take the initiative. Do you understand?!”
Zhao Yao responded with a simple “Hmm,” and then added, “I’m going to eat now. I’ll hang up first.”
Yao Bai exclaimed, “Wait!”
What he got in response was a series of “beep-beep-beep” and a long tone.
After hanging up the phone, Zhao Yao casually placed it on the table and helped Pei Mingzhan remove the lids from the food containers. When Pei Mingzhan asked who had called, Zhao Yao replied, “It was Yao Bai, he wanted to discuss something with me.”
“En.” Pei Mingzhan said as he sat down next to Zhao Yao. He picked up a bowl and chopsticks, selected a couple of dishes and placed them in Zhao Yao’s bowl. “Let’s eat first. The food will get cold if we don’t eat soon.”
While Pei Mingzhan was focused on the meal, Zhao Yao couldn’t help but think about what Yao Bai had said. He realized that their relationship had been quite ordinary so far. Pei Mingzhan was his first boyfriend. Zhao Yao had never been in a relationship before both in this life and his previous life. He had thought that following online guides step by step would be enough, but in reality, he hadn’t paid much attention to those strategies while dating Pei Mingzhan.
Zhao Yao attributed this to differences in their personalities and communication styles, but he also acknowledged that he hadn’t been proactive enough.
“What are you thinking about?” Pei Mingzhan noticed Zhao Yao’s distraction.
Zhao Yao looked at the food on the table. He realized that Pei Mingzhan seemed to be paying special attention to his preferences for a while now. Many things were done just right, and he had naturally fallen into a comfort zone. “Are you planning to return to H City for Chinese New Year?”
“En, what’s wrong?” Pei Mingzhan suddenly paused, concerned.
In Zhao Yao’s original plans, he will visit the Zheng family in H City. “Then let’s go together. I have something I want to discuss with my uncle before the New Year.”
Pei Mingzhan asked, “Are you planning to stay there for the New Year?”
Zhao Yao shook his head. “I probably won’t.” He hadn’t had much contact with the Zheng family for many years. The last time he communicated with his uncle was like going back to his previous life.
life. Going back there might not be very comfortable, but ultimately, whether or not to spend the New Year depended on Uncle Wang’s decision. He wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about the New Year festivities. He guessed that it might not be very comfortable over there. But in the end, whether they celebrate the New Year or not would depend on Uncle Wang’s preference. He wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about celebrating the New Year in the first place.
Pei Mingzhan smiled. “Then, how about visiting my place during that time? You didn’t come last time. So this time, you should at least visit my home, right?”
Zhao Yao calculated the time and agreed, “Okay.”
-*
The craze for Mi Ying showed no signs of stopping. It even achieved a high rating of 9.5 on the famous web series ranking list within the industry, attracting a large wave of viewers. However, with positive reviews came negative comments. Two weeks after the premiere, the popularity of Mi Ying reached its peak. Both the lead actors and the director took on numerous interviews and variety shows to solidify their popularity and promote the series during the period of watching the drama.
At this point, various negative comments began to come out.
【Actually, this drama is not as amazing as they claim. Pei Mingzhan’s acting is really good, but the scenes of the newcomer is too stiff.】
【I think the crew hired a bunch of water army to hype it up. They even got a lot of marketing accounts to blow a good plot and special effects. Only the first episode is decent. A lot of plots later are quite awkward.】
【I feel like they’ve overhyped it +1. Anyone who’s watched a few more suspense dramas won’t be so easily impressed.】
【Finally, someone came out and said it. I’m afraid I’ll be scolded if I say it. It’s really not a good show.】
As the Mi Ying project team, they immediately noticed the negative reviews that’s coming out and handed the matter over to Huihua’s PR department. The head of the PR department took a look and realized it was clearly a case of reverse marketing. During this period, Mi Ying had gained popularity, and online discussions were also high. Even some marketing accounts were actively participating in all kinds of discussions.
This kind of promotion will eventually lead to comparisons with other works, which can lead to resentment from other internet users. Proper marketing and promotion can help more people notice this niche work, but exaggerating and trampling other works in marketing can make others feel disgusted.
Marketing accounts often take advantage of this and cooperate with water armies. On one hand, they praise how great Mi Ying is, and on the other hand, they criticize and compare it with other shows, including many foreign blockbusters. This quickly catches the attention of viewers from the other circles, resulting in widespread reactions.
“This marketing only started a few days ago, and it hasn’t fully taken off yet. It’s estimated that today or tomorrow, people will start taking advantage of this popularity to cause trouble.” The head of Huihua’s PR department said to the Mi Ying project team. “Mi Ying did really gain a lot of attention, and the recent feedback on the last few episodes has been very positive. The people behind this marketing seem a bit impatient.”
If they had waited until Mi Ying reached the controversial plot points to launch this marketing campaign, they might have been able to achieve better results by stepping on the plot. But starting the marketing campaign now, with exaggerated praise and divisive tactics, lacks practicality and doesn’t have a significant impact on their project.
The head of the PR department said, “I always feel that the people behind this are targeting Mi Ying and even hired a professional team for marketing. But it seems a bit rushed, as if they can’t wait to pour dirty water on the project during this period.”
This matter was quickly brought to Chen’s office. With various trivial matters piling up as the Lunar New Year approached, industries like theirs had to schedule activities for various artists during the holiday season and address issues related to new project schedules. In essence, they had to bid farewell to the holidays. So, when the head of the PR department delivered this news, Chen Xi, who was already frustrated due to the pre-holiday rush, had an even darker expression on his face. He said, “Which family is being so audacious to step on us like this?”
The head of the PR department responded, “It’s still unclear at the moment. They’ve targeted multiple TV dramas simultaneously. But the only fantasy and suspense drama being aired at the same time is Mi Ying. Previous mystery dramas have already completed their promotional periods.”
Chen suddenly thought about what Mr. Zhao had specifically instructed him a while ago. He wondered, could it be related to this matter?
After all, Mr. Zhao had previously mentioned that someone might come looking for trouble. He originally wondered if Mr. Zhao had been overthinking. Considering Huihua’s current status, who would come looking for trouble for no reason? Wouldn’t that be causing trouble for themselves? But Mr. Zhao had said that it might not necessarily be someone from the same industry causing trouble. In any case, he had asked him to pay more attention.
Not someone from the same industry? Did that mean people from other circles had an issue with Huihua?
“So, are you saying that the person buying this marketing doesn’t know what they’re doing?” Chen Xi asked.
The head of the PR department continued, “Yes. Someone experienced in the industry wouldn’t choose this period at all.”
“It’s either an amateur or someone who threw money in marketing who was in a hurry…” Chen Xi thought for a moment. “Don’t wait for our industry peers to reveal themselves. Have someone investigate who’s behind these marketing accounts and find a way to suppress the hot search immediately. They’re targeting the drama production team now, and their next target might be the actors.”
There were many new actors in the cast of Mi Ying, making them an easy target for manipulation.
But Huihua is not a vegetarian either. Anyone trying to harm their project’s actors would have to go through them first.
-*
Brother Lao had lost quite a few hairs during this period for Pei Mingzhan. He almost made a joke out of himself because of his girlfriend’s situation. But in recent days, there really hasn’t been any strange rumors about Zhao Yao and Pei Mingzhan. MAybe it was because the year-end was approaching, and Pei Mingzhan’s work had kept him busy.
Later on, when he heard that Mr. Zhao had been visiting Pei Mingzhan’s office frequently, he almost broke out in a cold sweat again. Fortunately, an office was safer than going out shopping and risking being photographed by a paparazzi. He continued to work on matters related to the studio’s other artists until three hours ago when Mr. Zhao added his WeChat account.
At first, Brother Lao was confused when he saw the friend request. He stared at the green add button for a long time before finally hesitantly accepting it. He thought Mr. Zhao had some requests or instructions to give. But on the other side, Mr. Zhao asked him what Pei Mingzhan liked to eat???
As an actor, Pei Mingzhan had some publicly known preferences, but they were quite ordinary. For instance, he listed only two favorite fruits and one favorite food…. And most of it had no factual basis. It was just what people had gathered from Pei Mingzhan’s occasional appearances on variety shows. In reality, Pei Mingzhan’s preferences were considered his personal privacy.
Mr. Zhao had obviously researched Pei Mingzhan’s preferences on the internet. He even sent a screenshot to inquire about the details. Brother Lao carefully considered Pei Mingzhan’s preferences and had his assistant, Lele, help brainstorm. They came up with a more detailed list than what was available on the internet and sent it to Mr. Zhao.
“Lao Ge, I also found a list of movies and magazines that Pei Ge likes to read… Should I send those too?” Lele had just compiled a detailed list and was now remembering more details.
“Send it over quickly.” Brother Lao was watching the chat interface, but Mr. Zhao hadn’t replied yet.
He thought that Mr. Zhao was quite the example of someone who was stern and didn’t speak much. Even when chatting with him online, he still feels like a leader.
Lele quickly forwarded the list to Brother Lao, who then sent it to Mr. Zhao, muttering, “Why hasn’t he replied to my message yet?”
Lele asked, “Who wants this information, and why are they asking what Pei Ge likes? Isn’t it available on the internet?”
Seeing Brother Lao looking worried, he thought they might have encountered a difficult investor. “Should I go and ask Pei Ge again?”
Brother Lao sighed and said, “What’s the point of asking? Does Mr. Zhao really need to know? This is clearly something between the two young lovers and telling Pei Mingzhan might make that old fox show off.”
Lele acknowledged and turned back to continue working.
-*
When Zhao Yao heard about the news regarding Mi Ying, the internet was already going crazy with rumors about the male lead’s personal life. He found it somewhat surprising. He had been with the crew for a while, and the young actor playing the male lead seemed like a straightforward person. There hadn’t been any instances where he acted arrogantly or disregarded Pei Mingzhan during their time on set.
Then, he went online to check the related news and realized that the negative comments about Mi Ying had skyrocketed in recent days. He searched for official statements and press releases related to the cast and crew and found that a clarification statement had been issued just an hour ago. Huihua had also prepared for public relations from the very beginning.
Earlier, when EV mentioned that Bai Chengxue might be involved in something against Huihua, he had already instructed Chen Xi to be prepared. So when the marketing accounts started to hype this issue started, he received a message from Chen Xi saying that they were ready.
Chen Xi mentioned that although the people hired by the other party were from the industry, judging from the chaotic and disorganized online situation, it seemed like the money spent on marketing had led to some random guidance. Zhao Yao believed that this matter should be manageable. Mi Ying could withstand such attack. He also saw that most of the comments were fabricated and baseless, so he didn’t worry too much about it.
At this point, Zhao Yao noticed a message from Pei Mingzhan’s agent, Brother Lao. He shifted his attention to another matter and opened the file Brother Lao had sent. After reading the detailed contents, he replied with a “Thank you” emoji.
Brother Lao had been waiting for a long time and finally received one from Zhao Yao. It was a simple “Thank you” emoji, and it even appeared to be an old image from years ago, as if it had been downloaded casually.
Brother Lao stared at that emoji for a long time, wondering how to respond to Zhao Yao. After thinking for a while, he sent a message saying, “Thank you, Boss.”
Lele had been keeping an eye on the Mi Ying situation online these past few days. Although the rumors about the male lead of the drama weren’t directly related to their studio, he still mentioned it to Brother Lao. “Brother Lao, did the male lead of Mi Ying offend someone? Why are there so many negative rumors about him online?”
Brother Lao came back to his senses and said, “Are you talking about the new actor playing the male lead? Really? Old Pei told me that the young actor had some talent. He’s just getting popular, and now there are rumors all over? Isn’t his agency doing anything about it?”
“I’ve noticed that the hot search keeps getting suppressed and then pushed back up,” Lele said, looking puzzled. “Could it be a battle of financial resources? It seems like they’re buying and suppressing these hot searches. I have a feeling they are being targeted.”
Brother Lao frowned as he looked at it. “This isn’t right. Why are there plots of Mi Ying in the hot search? Is Chen Xi’s team involved in a marketing campaign? No, maybe they bought the water army and got the hot search wrong?”
Chen Xi is a shrewd person. It doesn’t make sense for him to buy a hot search at this moment to boost Mi Ying. It’s very likely that it’s the opponent who bought the hot search…
On this day, Weibo had several hot searches related to Mi Ying. Some were full of praise, some were focused on gossip about the male lead, and others were questioning the plot… There were several hot searches lined up neatly attracting countless onlookers to click and check the details. It is obvious that there are traces of the water army inside, and some of them have made mistakes in hot search. People who often watch hot search on the Internet immediately understand that this thing is buying hot search to boost visibility.
【Shit, seriously? Did the cast of Mi Ying production team buy so many hot searches?】
【It seems like they’re using hot search to hype up the show. Even the black material of the male lead for more attention?】
【Is this a marketing strategy for the drama? It’s disgusting that they’re throwing the male lead under the bus…】
【Feeling sorry for the male lead…】
Even the male lead’s fans began to doubt whether it was a prank by the production team and started venting their frustration on the official account of the show. The hot search here is boiling, and the fans of the male lead over there also began to tear up the crew.
【I’m a bit confused. Did someone use a certain fan base as a tool? Didn’t you see the clarification announcement issued by Huihua an hour ago?】
【As someone from the industry, let me express my opinion. Given the current popularity of Mi Ying, there’s really no need to buy hot search for more heat.】
【Does the drama still need a hot search? The pacing of the plot is comfortable, the actors’ skills are online. It’s only the production team that seems to have lost their minds to resort to buying hot search at this point.】
【Suggestion: Surf the internet with a brain!!】
However, Huihua’s clarification announcement earlier was quickly forwarded to the fans. They soon realized that it was someone who bought the hot search blackened crew and blacken their brother. Over the past few days, there have been a lot of hot searches related to Mi Ying. At the beginning, they were all filled with praise, but later, negative and sarcastic comments started appearing.
Some people even claimed that the online ratings of Mi Ying were fabricated, leading to a sudden drop of 2 points in the drama’s overall rating.
On the Internet, the netizens who paid attention to the negative comments also began to feel strange.
【The old man on the subway looking at his phone, have these people even watched the actual drama?】
【They’re saying that the female lead’s acting was very fake in the third episode, but I was thinking, she barely had any scenes in the third episode…】
【Yes, yes! Some are even saying that the female lead was married to the male lead in the past. I was left completely confused. How can anyone come up with that?】
【Marketing accounts are also being used. I’m starting to doubt whether the Mi Ying I watched is completely different from what they’re describing.】
【Today, I posted a few comments about the drama’s plot directly on Weibo. This green tea crawled to my Weibo to make sarcastic comments. I just blocked her, who cares.】
【I have a little bit of a different opinion. Not that the drama is bad, but the plot. How should I put it…”. I brush this comment more than ten times, and my girlfriends even asked me if the male lead is a scumbag..】
【Hahaha! The male and female leads haven’t even exchanged three sentences, and they’re already imagining him as a scumbag?】
When these comments came out, the original group of fans who were discussing the plot of the series suddenly noticed that various marketing accounts were leading the rhythm. Many people from different circles also joined in, making sarcastic and fabricated comments that were not from the actual storyline. They started misleading new viewers and created a lot of negative impressions, causing a bunch of casual viewers to not even bother watching. When they talk about Mi Ying, it is said that this is a scum male drama with suspenseful skin, and the three views of the whole play are not correct.
On a certain high-rating website, there were many fake accounts giving Mi Ying a one-star ratings. It was clearly organized efforts by the anti-fans to lower the show’s overall score. In addition, Huihua released a clarification statement an hour ago. The netizens finally understood, someone saw Min Ying becoming successful and so began to brush bad comments to lower the show’s success.
This revelation angered netizens who enjoyed watching the drama peacefully. They realized that this was an attempt to distort the reputation of Mi Ying, a show with strong moral values. Many influential bloggers and vloggers began to do science popularization for new people in the circle. This helped people understand that they had been misled by online keyboard warriors.
【Damn, I’m from a niche drama community. A while back, many people were bashing our niche dramas, and I even followed them and scolded them several times.Now, I realize the things they criticized weren’t even part of the plot…】
【These marketing accounts and the plot they made up are more exciting than the ones on Weibo.】
【So, the male lead is not a scumbag after all? Originally, I wanted to watch it, but I stopped because of the plot of the scumbag.】
【I’m in the same boat… I was persuaded by the comments of netizens. Today, I decided to take a look, and I found out I missed a great play.】
【Damn it! Think about it, who’s the one who smashed the hot searched Mi Ying?】
As soon as the news spread, the original fans who did not want to cause trouble realized that someone had paid to manipulate the hot search related to Mi Ying. There was no need for Chen Xi to worry about PR matters anymore. Fans began to do clarification work spontaneously. The two groups that acted the quickest were the fans of Pei Mingzhan and Zhao You.
The former group consisted mainly of Pei Mingzhan’s career fans. They used to enjoy their time on the fan forums, but as soon as they heard about this situation, they couldn’t stand by. After all, Pei Pei had finally appeared in a new drama, and now there were people trying to undermine it?!
The latter group was Zhao You’s career fans. They often felt guilty for not contributing much to Zhao You despite being members. Now that they saw someone trying to sabotage Mi Ying, the fighting spirit of these fans was immediately awakened.
Of course, messing with Mi Ying meant messing with Huihua, and messing with Huihua meant affecting Zhao You’s making money!!!
The Author has something to say:
Brother Yao: Thank you.
Restless Lao: Thank you, boss.
Brother Yao: ?
Brother Lao: Thank you is a traditional virtue.
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